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Danville School Joins Growing List of Institutions Going Solar

By Chris Riedel

10/06/08

The Athenian School in Danville, CA has announced plans to implement a new 220-kilowatt photovoltaic system, projected to supply roughly half the school's annual energy needs.

For the project, the school has partnered with REC Solar to install the system, which will be made up of 1,300 ground-mounted Mitsubishi Electric solar panels, fashioned to resemble the trademark Athenian "A." Funding for the project comes from a SurePath Solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Tioga Energy.

As with other PPAs, the physical system will not be owned or operated by the school itself, but by one of the companies involved in the implementation, in this case Tioga, which will sell the energy under contract to the school. The 20-year agreement will give The Athenian School "predictably priced" energy resources, without the upfront costs associated with implementing the system on their own.

"Environmental stewardship is one of the pillars upon which the School was founded," said Eleanor Dase, head of the school, in a prepared statement. "We are excited and pleased to be able to model this value for our students, as well as do our part to use green energy and reduce global warming."

Over the duration of the contract, the school expects to avoid emitting approximately 12,800 pounds of smog-producing emissions and about 66.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

About the Author

Chris Riedel is a freelance writer based in Illinois. He can be reached here.

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